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A warm welcome for the first Mi'kmaq to be appointed to the Canadian SenateDan Christmas of Membertou was greeted by fellow Senators . . .December 14, 2016

Hon. Peter Harder (Government Representative in the Senate): "A lifelong resident of the Mi'kmaq community of Membertou, Dan Christmas has spent two decades playing a leading role in transforming his home community from a First Nation on the verge of bankruptcy into one of the most successful in Canada. He has worked across a range of fields that include Aboriginal and treaty rights, youth, justice, policing, education, health care and all of the others that go into a successful community.

Earlier, as the Director of the Advisory Services for the Union of Nova Scotia Indians, Mr. Christmas coordinated its political and litigation strategy on Aboriginal and treaty rights and, notably, the Mi'kmaq response to the report on the Royal Commission on the Donald Marshall, Jr., Prosecution.

For 18 years he also chaired a local charitable organization, recognized by the Donner Canadian Foundation as one of the best-run not-for-profits in Canada. He is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions. Please join me in welcoming Dan Christmas. Colleagues, this is the first Christmas to sit in the Senate, but as Speaker Noël Kinsella will tell us, not the first Noël."

Hon. Claude Carignan (Leader of the Opposition): "I would like to extend a warm welcome to Senator Daniel Christmas, a businessman who has lived in the Mi'kmaw community of Membertou all his life and the first Mi'kmaw appointed to the Senate.

When his community found itself in dire financial straits, he helped transform it into a prosperous First Nations community. Your business skills and your remarkable humanity are sure to enrich our debates."

Biographical notes:Daniel Christmas, a lifelong resident of the Mi’kmaw community of Membertou, has been active in a number of international, national, provincial and local organizations in a range of fields including Aboriginal and treaty rights, youth, justice, policing, education, health care, human rights, adult training, business development and the environment.

As the Director of Advisory Services for the Union of Nova Scotia Indians, Mr. Christmas coordinated its political and litigation strategy on Aboriginal and treaty rights, led the Mi’kmaw response to the Report of the Royal Commission on the Donald Marshall Jr. Prosecution, and helped ensure the implementation of many of the report’s recommendations.

Over the past two decades as Senior Advisor for Membertou, he has played a key role in transforming his home community from a First Nations on the verge of bankruptcy into one of the most successful in Canada. Mr. Christmas is also a consultant with Membertou Quality Management Services, providing services to a number of Mi’kmaw organizations. He has served with or chaired many provincial and national boards, advisory committees, and organizations.

For 18 years, he chaired a local charitable organization, Educational Program Innovation Charity, which was recognized as the best run non-profit organization in Canada by the Donner Canadian Foundation in 2010. He has received numerous awards and distinctions for his work, including an honorary Doctor of Law Degree from Dalhousie University.